Isabella-Black

Kagoya scrambled to his feet, hastily brushing dirt off his clothes before he stormed towards Toshiro. "Hey! I was here first!" He shoved an accusing finger in the other boy's face, "And I [i]said[/i] I'm not done yet!" Suki watched with wry amusement, as Toshiro paused in his attempt to stare her into submission to glare disdainfully at the ranting Kagoya. She was familiar with the Yakanashi boy - a decent student, higher up in ranking than Kagoya but still average in comparison to the more advanced prodigies like herself. She'd sparred with him a few times in class but she'd never considered him anything particularly special, certainly not skilled enough to take her in a one-on-one taijutsu match. The only thing notable about him was the intense way he always seemed to stare at her; not as if he thought she was attractive or impressive, but as if she was constantly in his way, an obstacle for him to overcome. She smirked and fell back into her favourite method of baiting the Yakanashi. "And you are?" She asked, drawing the attention of the field back to her. She kept her tone intentionally annoyed and dismissive, "I was having a nice time sparring with Kagoya, you know." Toshiro gritted his teeth, though his composure was better than most, clearly angered by the fact that she seemed to have forgotten his name. Suki reached up and began idly fiddling with her hair, digging the knife in deeper with her apparent disinterest. She said: "If you want someone to spar with so badly, why don't you go find one of the other dead lasts. I'm sure you're already well acquainted." "I'm here to fight you." Toshiro replied evenly. Suki's eyes snapped forward, returning his glare with a cool, even glance. She didn't get a chance to reply before Kagoya stepped in. "She said, no! And we're still sparring, so back off, Yakanashi." Normally she'd be offended when people tried to speak for her, but Suki said nothing, content to watch and see what Toshiro's reaction would be. She wasn't disappointed. Without so much as breaking his focus on her, Toshiro slipped down and kicked the other boy's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling to the ground once again in an undignified. The tai-jutsu enthusiast in her noted his form and technique - solid, but purely technical - as Kagoya roared up and tried to attack. Toshiro blocked and parried with ease for a moment before catching Kagoya off guard with a strike against his shin and managing to knock him away with a gesture that was clearly practiced. "Like I said," Toshiro relaxed his stance as Kagoya panted, winded from the assault, "you're done." Kagoya looked like he was about to retort; Suki cut him off. "He's right." When he turned and looked at her in shock, Suki merely shrugged. "You're winded and exhausted. If you can't take him down" - she caught the barest flash of venom in Toshiro's stare - "then you don't have a chance at beating me." [i]As if he'd had one to begin with,[/i] she thought, then turned to face Toshiro. He barely looked phased from the short session with Kagoya, and it would be nice to go up again someone who had more than a fleeting grasp of tai-jutsu technique; she shifted into a defensive stance, ready. "Well, come on then."

Suki picked up her text book from where she'd placed it on the desk, and flipped forward to the section on taijutsu technique as she exited the classroom, thoroughly disappointed. She'd been expecting something challenging to usher her forward to her new genin status (something which seemed readily available now that she knew what was expected of her to pass) although she supposed something that was more [i]her[/i] level would be nigh impossible for the rest of the stragglers, so presumptuous as to already consider themselves real shinobi before even setting foot outside the Academy doors. [i]Still,[/i] her father's voice reprimanded, echoing in her head, [i]you're lucky they didn't decide to focus this test on genjutsu techniques. Your skills in illusion are still pathetically amateur.[/i] Suki deflated; she was a fair ninjutsu user - more than skilled enough to gain her headband - and her skills in taijutsu were years ahead of her peers, but she had never been adept at genjutsu and struggled daily to improve. It was laughable how poorly she scored in that area, and even the most basic technique often baffled her. It was pathetic for an aspiring kunoichi and [i]especially[/i] for a member of the proud Kudara clan. Suki sighed and turned the page back to the section on genjutsu and forced herself to pay attention. A voice from the right interrupted her reading, "Miss Kudara?" Suki turned and pinned the speaker with a glare. The boy, a student in her year named Kagoya, shifted minutely and hurried to continue. "I-I-I was wondering... you're good at this ninjutsu stuff, right?" And he wasn't; Suki could already see where this was headed. She nodded anyway. "Well I was wondering, since you're not doing anything," - Suki narrowed her eyes at his presumption - "maybe you could give me a few pointers?" Kagoya asked, nubbing his hand against his neck in a sheepish gesture. Suki said nothing for a moment, allowing Kagoya to fidget nervously in the silence, before answering with a curt, "Yes, I could." She caught the boy's eager smile out of the corner of her eye before she turned on her heels and began walking towards the training grounds, nose buried in her book once again. Kagoya stuttered indigently behind her, completely baffled, before he ran after her. Suki had to bit her tongue to suppress a smirk. "What gives, Kudara?" He demanded, having caught up and was now keeping stride beside her. "I thought you said, you'd help me?" Suki closed her book with a sharp snap, keeping her attention forward. "I said I [i]could[/i] help you. Not that I had any intention of doing so." "What?" Suki rolled her eyes: "If you can't be bothered to learn such a basic ninja technique in the months we've had since sensei's lesson, than why should I be bothered to lose [i]my[/i] training time just to help a slacker like you?" "Cause it'd be [i]nice[/i] of you to help me?" "Nice doesn't get you far as a shinobi." Kagoya glared venomously, clearly annoyed, but he didn't turn away or break stride. [i]He must really be desperate.[/i] Suki realized, [i]let's see how desperate.[/i] She stopped suddenly and turned to look the taller boy directly in the eye. He shifted to a stop and met her gaze for a moment before he turned to look around, realizing for the first time that she had led him to the eastern training grounds of the academy, surrounded by trees on two sides and pocketed with boulders and uneven terrain. They were still in sight of the main building and less than twenty feet from a gaggle of students, practicing for the exam. Suki was unimpressed, the first thing she'd learned as a kunoichi was to always be aware of her surroundings. She dropped her book to the ground and crossed her arms , "Show me what you've got." Kagoya gave her a determined look before making the correct signs and transforming in a cloud of smoke. In his place stood Kizuka-sensei... or at least it was supposed to be... maybe. He really did need her help. Suki couldn't hide the look of disbelief on her face. Kagoya's transformation was... deformed at best. It was entirely asymetrical, holding only the barest resemblance to their teacher, and looked very much like someone had folded him up in order for him to stand at Kagoya's height. It was actually appalling - no wonder he'd been desperate enough to seek her help. Another puff of smoke and the monstrosity vanished. Kagoya reappeared in its place, embarrassed and plainly avoiding her gaze. "That's horrible," Suki announced, plainly. "You're obviously no good at controlling your chakra, if you're even putting enough in that thing to begin with and you're not focusing at all. If you were it wouldn't look..." she gestured wildly with her hands "like [i]that.[/i]" Kagoya glared heatedly at her, daring her to do better. So she did. A moment later Kagoya was staring at the mirror image of himself, angry glare and all. Suki/Kagoya shifted her/his hand onto her/his hip, annoyed. "You need to build up your chakra, focus on the target, and then manipulate your energy into the shape you want." The real Kagoya started back a bit, unnerved at hearing his own voice echoed back at him. Suki transformed back. "How did you do that?" Kagoya asked. "I just told you." Suki replied with a flippant gesture. "If you can't figure it out on your own, then you're obviously hopeless." When she made to walk away, Kagoya shot forward and grabbed her arm, moving faster than she would have thought possible. "Come on, Kudara. I really need some help here." She could have twisted his arm until he let go, or smashed his forearm to give him an ugly bruise. Instead, Suki smirked and turned back to face the boy, his hand still on her arm. "Tell you what," she began slowly, "I need a sparring partner to pass the time. If you can pin me, I'll help you fix your Transformation until its as good as mine." Kagoya considered her for a moment, noting her slender figure and how his fingers completely encircled her wrist. "And if I can't?" He asked, cautiously, not trusting that sly grin on his opponents face. Suki shrugged, "Then I get a nice warm up out of it. Your call." Kagoya didn't waste a minute before shifting into an offensive stance, his grip on her wrist increased until it was almost bruising. He smirked, "Bring it." The next thing Kagoya knew, he was on his back in the dirt. Suki looked down at his prone form, one knee still firmly planted on his abdomen and her grip on his arm poised to twist and snap his wrist if he moved the wrong way. She leaned down and gave him her sweetest smile. "Best two out of three?"

Suki had been stretching after her morning training routine when the low boom of thunder rumbled through the halls of her family compound. She waited for a moment, expecting to hear the rhythmic drumming of rain against the roof, but when nothing came she became curious and moved from the worn tatami mats to the raised wooden planks near the training building's sole open window. She leaned out, balanced her weight on the heel of her palms and glanced towards the heavens. The sky was overcast, lending a dark shadow to her clan compound and the surrounding landscape. The forested area to the north was dark, foreboding and the angles of her father's house seemed sharper somehow in the dim light. Even the flowers of her mother's garden seemed to tremble in anticipation for the storm to come. The wind was cold against the bare skin of her arms. Her father or uncle would likely be able to tell her what such a breeze heralded - a light rain or a roaring downpour - but they were both already gathered for the monthly council meeting in the compound's main temple and would have no time to satisfy her curiosity. She was already running short on time in any case, she had to get dressed and make her way to the Academy, least she was late for the examinations later that afternoon. Despite herself she couldn't help but become excited; she'd barely slept the night before, knowing that today was finally the day she would become a genin. Exhaustion pulled at her body, but she barely noticed. Today was [i]the[/i] day. She pushed off from the window sill, returned to the lowered center of the room and finished to her exercises before she exited the training compound and returned to her room. Her father's house was impressive, the largest in the clan. It had its own wing dedicated to training, and another for formally receiving important guests. The rest was the family's living space, with the dinning and kitchen area situated towards the south and the bedrooms in the east. Suki's was situated at the end of that wing so she often had to sprint down the hallway just to get ready each morning, but it afforded her a good measure of privacy so she was grateful for that. Once inside, she considered the weather before unfolding her blue dress and slipping it on over her training shorts. It had no sleeves, so she grabbed her dark jacket from the closet to wear on top, as well as her belt and weapons pouch which she clipped to her waist. She stopped by her mirror and ran a comb through the short strands of her black hair and fussed with her bangs, dyed a deep purple, before she was satisfied and made her way out of the house, jacket in hand. She ignored her older brothers, eating their breakfast in the kitchen - she had already eaten earlier before she'd begun training, and slipped outside into the cold air. It only took her ten minutes to make her way to the Academy, but by then she could already see small gatherings of students beginning to file into the classroom. She felt the stirrings of anticipation coil in her chest as she wondered how many of her former classmates would obtain that coveted genin status, and if she would be among them. She felt for her weapons as if to reassure herself, and stepped inside the classroom, finding her seat and pulling out one of the Academy textbooks, suddenly consumed with the urge to study. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as students began to file in, one after another, most looking as exhausted as she felt and just as anxious. Another crack of thunder sounded overhead and Suki wondered if it would finally rain once she'd become a real shinobi.

[b]Name:[/b] Kudara Suki [b]Physical Description:[/b] Suki is short for her age and nearly all the other students tower over her by a few inches or more; she is very lithe and slender regardless, making her appear much frailer than she really is. She has jet black hair worn in a short, pixie-cut style except for two strands, falling along the length of her face which she religiously dyes a dark purple. Suki normally wears a sleeveless dark blue dress over black training shorts. Her weapons pouch is attached to black belt worn low on her waist and she has a kunai pouch strapped to her left thigh at all times. She wears the standard shinobi sandals until she becomes a Chuunin, at which point sheâ??ll switch to black combat boots. Her skin is pale and she has sharp hazel eyes. [b]Strengths and Abilities:[/b] Suki is a talented and quick learner and her standing as 2nd overall in her class reflects this. Her strengths are based in advanced taijutsu and her developing wind-based ninjutsu skills although she struggles with genjutsu, her skill in this area purely basic. While her quick temper and difficulty working well with others hinder her in battle, she is resourceful and cunning in combat and her ability to improvise under pressure make her a dangerous and unpredictable opponent. [b]Bio:[/b] Suki is the second youngest of six unruly children and the only girl among them. Rather than allowing her older brothers to bully her, Suki learned to fight back at an early age and has become one of the more dominant voices of her household, having an unhealthily intense rivalry/hatred towards her oldest brother, Shiro, and the tentative approval of her father. This reflects heavily in her relationships with others, her driven and competitive nature often grants her more rivals than friends. She respects power, ambition and hard work but detests arrogance and ignorance in any form. Despite her tendency to bully people more than befriend them, once you gain Sukiâ??s respect and trust itâ??s very hard to destroy it. Sheâ??s loyal and protective towards her friends and despite all outward appearances she holds a great deal of affection for her brothers (most of them). Rumour has it she can be downright [i]maternal[/i] when called upon, most especially towards her younger brother, Koji, since the death of their mother some four years previous. This is of course, just a rumour, and anyone who suggests otherwise often ends up with a broken nose for their foolishness. The Kudara clan is widely respected as an old and powerful ninja clan and holds some political influence inside Konohaâ??s council. Clan members are proficient in wind and air-based jutsuâ??s with the most powerful able to â??flyâ?? for short periods of time by manipulating air currents. Sukiâ??s father, Hiromasa, is the current patriarch of the clan and as such has placed enormous pressure on his children, training them mercilessly, expecting perfection and sometimes even going so far as to have them fight each other to earn their meals. Sukiâ??s brother Shiro is next in line to lead the clan and is visibly eager (some would say [i]too[/i] eager) to take over upon their fatherâ??s death.

[I]Damnit! How did I fall for something so obvious![/I] Hotaru's thoughts echoed Matsuda's. Her captor laughed maliciously, digging in his kunai to draw a pinprick of blood from her neck. Hotaru stilled completely. From this position, she couldn't determine whether the assailants behind her were shinobi or very sneaky bandits, but regardless of either situation, if he pressed any harder, that kuani could sever more than a few key nerves and leave her paralyzed for life. However short that would be in the aftermath. Out of the corner of her eye Hotaru glanced at Matsuda, captured as she was, and looking.... defeated. The girl felt a dangerous mix of sympathy and irrational fury well up at the sight of her teammate looking so pathetic. Yes they were in a tough spot; yes, this looked bad; but a true shinobi never gave up. She narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to do [I]something[/I] to redeem himself. But Matsuda kept his gaze securely to the ground, defeated and self-admonishing. [I]Then it's up to me,[/I] Hotaru thought and repressed a sudden shiver that ran up her spine. The man holding her leaned his body closer to speak clearly in her ear. "Drop the knife, sweetie," Hotaru's blood boiled, but she forced herself to simmer down. He had said 'knife', not 'kunai'. No shinobi worth his head band would do that. They had a chance. The kunai twisted dangerously, drawing more blood, "Drop it now. Or else [B]somebody[/B] might get hurt." The bandits in front of them chuckled lamely and Hotaru made a face. She let the kunai slip from her hands, refusing to flinch as the man unstrapped her weapons pouch from her side, and saw Matsuda being similarly disarmed. Her face remained a careful neutral as she concentrated. The bandit holding her yanked viciously on her arm, drawing her backwards and off balanced. He replaced the kunai at the side of her neck, hovering over her coronary artery. "Now stand up, and you might live long enough too..." He trailed off suddenly, his eyes growing wide at the sight of a clear fluid dripping onto his hand. His grip still tight on his prisoner, the bandit looked up to see a 12 foot long boa constrictor eying him like it's next meal. The bandit lashed out at him, his self preservation instincts telling him to kill the serpent before it got to him. His kunai missed the snake by a mile and it hissed at him, saliva dripping from it's open mouth. He grabbed it's neck to hold it still and the boa fell upon him. Forgetting his little prisoner, the bandit jumped back, failing and writhing widely as he tried to wrestle out of the boa's hold, but the more he struggled the more entangled he became. He was chocking. Why wasn't anyone helping him? He was going to die. Going to die. He was - "The Hell?!" The bandits stared, confused out of their minds as on of their comrades screamed and rolled around on the forest floor, struggling against a loose branch as though his life depended on it. It took them a moment to remember the girl. Hotaru appeared from the trees behind them sending the first bandit toppling to the ground with a chakra enhanced kick to his back. The second recovered from his shock and tried to grab at her only to find his hands filled with a piece of tree. A hand crashed out of the ground, latching onto his ankles and pulling him down into the earth until he was submerged up to his neck. Hotaru pulled herself out of the ground, dusting herself off as the bandit struggled uselessly to get free. The first bandit recovered from his fall tossing a bunch of kunai at her back, one after another. Hotaru dodged the first three, grabbing the fourth and sending it hurtling into the path of the last kunai, sending it flying off it's intending course. The bandit came after her with his last blade, slashing viciously at her, becoming increasingly angry as she dodged with a smirk on her face. He glowered, "Stay still you little bitch!" Hotaru caught his hand, disarming him with a vicious twist to his wrist. She attacked him in earnest now, returning blow for blow. She dodged an uppercut punch and dropped down to the ground on her back. The bandit stumbled forward, unprepared. Hotaru caught his neck between her feet and used his momentum to flip him onto the ground, face first in the dirt - he slumped to the earth, out cold. The girl flipped herself upright and dove for the abandoned kunai on the floor, ready to send it at Matsuda's captor. The remaining bandit stiffened and quickly forced Matsuda tightly against him, pressing the cold metal of the kunai against the skin of his throat. The bandit grinned at her, "One move from you and the boy gets it." Hotaru paused, eyes wide and concerned, and stared at Matsuda. The boy struggled slightly against his captor, but couldn't move for fear of the blade at his neck - it would carve his skin open in a heartbeat. The bandit continued, "Drop the blade and hands at the back of your head, missy." Hotaru dropped the kunai, imbedding itself into the soft earth and raised her hands above her head, slowly. All the while she glared daggers at the man. "My name's not missy," the bandit smirked, then felt something strike the back of his neck. The world went dark and he crumpled to the ground. Hotaru stood behind him, her arm still extended from when she had hit his central nerves. "It's Hotaru." The other Hotaru gave Matsuda a grin before vanishing in a puff of smoke. The real Hotaru didn't spare him a glance as she walked over to the body of the now-unconscious victim of her genjutsu and retrieved her belongings. Once set she walked over to Matsuda and offered him a hand. "Come on," she stated, coldly, "the others might need our help."

Hotaru sent Okaru a scathing glare over her shoulder. She had offered to take the flank position, hadn't she? She shut out the little voice in her head that whispered it was because he didn't believe she was good enough to protect their backs. Okaru knew better than that, and so did she. This was no time for her to endanger her teammates because of her pride. Matsuda moved up beside her, but Hotaru kept the majority of her attention on Ryokotsu-sensei. Just as Okaru had pointed out, he was leading too far ahead and his movements were slightly erratic - something was wrong. She sent the slightest beckon of chakra out through her feet, letting it illuminate the hidden details of the forest to her senses. There appeared to be nothing for several feet - just brush and foliage, nothing for them to be overly concerned about. Hotaru was a genjutsu prodigy, however, and she knew better than most that nothing was ever as it seemed. She sent a larger beacon out, expanding her search another few metres. She nearly faltered in step when her chakra hit something that clearly, was not a squirrel. There was more than one. She tried to keep her voice calm and even, but failed to conceal the subtle shock in her words, "Sensei..." "I know," Ryokotsu-sensei replied evenly. His movements were less erratic now, but whether that meant their pursuers were of no threat or that it was useless to try and loose them was unclear. "Keep your eyes forward and your chakra to yourself." Hotaru obeyed without question. Ryokotsu-sensei was the experienced one here; she would follow his lead. "Hotaru?" Matsuda's voice broke her from her intense concentration. She faced Matsuda, who was still clearly confused about what was going on, "What's going on?" She said nothing at first, only giving him a pointed look and facing away. He was a smart boy - the smartest in their group by far - he would figure it out on his own. "Are you..." Matsuda continued, even as Hotaru continued to vigilantly face forward, "... I mean... I know it's really none of my business..." Hotaru gave him a sideways look, completely confused by his nonsensical ramblings. Matsuda continued, his head down, "... are you... and Okaru really...?" He trailed off, hoping she would get his meaning. She did, and this time she really did falter, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her head nearly twisted around 180 degrees as she sent a look to Okaru that promised swift retribution before she addressed the oblivious Matsuda. "No. We're not." She said coldly and curtly. Matsuda still looked confused. "He's messing with your head, Matsuda," Hotaru explained through clenched teeth, "you should spend less time listening to that block-head and more time paying attention to your surroundings." This time Matsuda understood, and Hotaru could see the wheels in his head start to turn, placing all the pieces together. "How..." Before he could finish they were ambushed. [OOC: I feel like a bit of a douche leaving it like this, but I'm out of ideas right now. Sorry this took so long!]

Hotaru waved at Okaru and hurried to meet him at the crosswalk. She had expected to be the first one there having woken up so early that morning after a fitful night's sleep but wrestling her bag out of the tree, which had served as her bed that night, had delayed her somewhat. She made a mental note to 'accidentally' toss a few shuriken at those squirrels the next time she was in the area. Obviously they had some sort of vendetta against her. Her family had not taken the news of her first mission very well - to say the least. Her father had been livid, raging around the room like a caged tiger and her mother had gone into absolute hysterics. Itsuki had simply sat in a corner of the room, saying nothing, occasionally giving her a disappointed look and shaking his head. She'd tried to reason with them, she really had. It was, after all, a mission from the Hokage; she couldn't just refuse to go because it wasn't 'proper behavior for a young lady' and she'd only be gone a few weeks at the most. Predictably, that hadn't helped. Her parents had launched into their routine degradation of shinobi, saying the profession was dangerous and foolish and the cause of all the world's problems. That the influence of those insane individuals had warped the mind of their only daughter. In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have started to yell back. It never solved anything, in fact, they used it against her. [I]"See what those ninja are doing to you? A lady must never yell, she must never speak unless spoken to and she must respect her superiors."[/I] Her mother had quoted religiously. Hotaru had called them all hypocrites and cowards, along with several 'unsavory' adjectives she had picked up at the academy. She was lucky her grandfather hadn't been there or she'd have gotten in far more trouble than a simple banishment to her room until she 'learned to respect her betters'. She might have sulked in her room all night, perfectly miserable. Then her grandmother had crept into her room and handed her her travel bag, packed with a change of clothes, her gear, and a box of her famous home-made bento. The old woman had hurried her out of her pajamas and out her bedroom window, all the while chuckling to herself at the trouble they'd both be in later. Neither had cared. Her grandmother had shooed her away with a parting 'kick butt now, you hear?' and locked her bedroom up again as Hotaru slipped away into the night. She'd spent the night in the woods of her old training grounds and freshened up in a restaurant bedroom before heading over here. Her family wouldn't notice her absence until midday at least, and she'd be long gone by then. It was the homecoming that Hotaru dreaded - like an execution, which it would most likely be. For now, however, she didn't care. She gave Okaru a sideways smile and asked why he had been staring at her, enjoying his bumbling explanation as they approached the gates. This was really it. Her first real mission as a gennin with her team. After this she vowed she would never weed another garden or hunt down another old lady's cat even if her life depended on it. She was one step closer to being a real kunoichi today and not even her impending doom could dampen her spirits. She grinned slyly at Okaru, who had stopped trying to stutter out an explanation in that semi-confident way of his. That was one thing she really admired about Okaru; he was always confident, always ready for anything, no matter what the situation. She could draw strength from that, she could depend on that. Mentally, she took back her assumption of him on their first day of team 8. She [I]could[/I] trust Okaru, with her life and Matsuda's - and she did. Ryokotsu-sensei was waiting for them, arms crossed and leaning against the wall bordering Konoha, just beside the open gates. He acknowledged the two gennin by looking at them each in turn. His eyes lingered on Hotaru a second longer than Okaru; she wondered if he knew about her stay in the woods and was unnerved. He stood up straight then and she snapped to attention. He nodded to the both of them, "You're on time, good. Now, the sooner your teammate gets here, the sooner we can leave." Hotaru turned her head to stare at the path behind them, expecting to see Matsuda's approaching figure any second.

Hotaru waited until Okaru's chakra signature was well out of range before she, very deliberately, scooted into the seat right beside Matsuda, a knowing, and very mothering expression replacing her normal blank. "Alright, emo-boy," she teased, half playfully, half reprimanding, "what's up with you? You look like you're preparing to go to your death tomorrow, not our first real mission." The look Matsuda gave her made her think that perhaps that had NOT been the right metaphor to use in this case. She squirmed a little under his incredulous expression - she wasn't used to this. At home she was quiet and usually answered questions rather than inquiring after others herself (outside of the customary politeness her mother drilled into her skull); at the academy she had been withdrawn and serious, toughening herself up against the disapproval of her family, and the future she had chosen for herself - a future, she had anticipated, which would be mostly solitary and brutal. Being concerned for her teammates was hardly something to be ashamed of, it was only natural, but actually interacting with them and 'bonding' over stuff like this, was not exactly her area of expertise. Hotaru mentally shook herself; she could create complex genjutsu illusions which were [I]years[/I] above the normal gennin capacity and yet she couldn't figure out how to comfort her own teammate. How pathetic. "Sorry," she apologized in a low voice, "what I meant was... you should be worried about tomorrow. Like I said, they wouldn't have sent us on this mission if they didn't think we could handle it. And we've all become stronger since the Academy, especially you." Matsuda smiled a little at that, but it was somewhat disbelieving. "Thanks, Hotaru." "No I mean it!" She insisted, "I mean, when I first noticed you at the academy, I never thought you'd pass the exams" - she bit her lip when Matsuda winced -" ... and by that I mean... you were so... you just didn't seem like YOU thought you were ready. I mean you were always good, but you never seemed to think it was good enough and so you'd just... give up a little, before you even started. But... but," she paused, unsure, "now you've just kinda... you're good and you [I]know it[/I] now. I mean, Okaru and I, we've always known we were talented and all. "I mean, I always thought Okaru would graduate before either of us, really, cause he always works so hard at everything. And not even Ragia-sensei could see through my illusions... but you always seemed like you were trying to prove something to someone, like you had to justify your place there. But now... you've really grown and..." she trailed off and slumped pathetically into her seat, at a loss for how to continue, "... do you get what I mean?" Matsuda actually laughed a little at that and nodded, "Yeah, I get what you mean." Hotaru sighed, relieved, but didn't dare sit up again in case Matsuda saw her red face. "I'm actually not worried about that... not [I]really[/I]," Matsuda continued, and the girl raised her head off the counter, "it's just... this is gonna be our first real mission... we could end up fighting rogue ninja and... if we do we'll probably have to kill them." Hotaru rose completely now, comprehension slowly dawning on her. "Oh yeah... well, I mean, it's got to happen eventually right? We're shinobi and that's part of what we do." She sounded confident when she said it, but the realization suddenly weighed heavily in the pit of her stomach. Was she really ready to take a life? Were any of them? Hotaru straightened her back and nodded harshly to herself. She hadn't come this far just to wimp out and back down now. She'd chosen this life, and she'd see it through. "We'll be fine. And whatever happens," in a rare show of compassion (and also of dependency) she placed her hand on top of Matsuda's and gave a gentle squeeze, "we're a team, we'll get through it together." Before Matsuda could react, Hotaru snapped their server over and demanded the bill, only to curse Okaru when they were provided with deserts and the change for the bill.

Hotaru gave Okaru a strange look. They were finally going on a [I]real[/I] mission, far away from manual labor and cat hunting - hopefully - never to return. And yet he seemed ... down. Nervous, she could understand. She didn't doubt that all of them were at least a little anxious about what would happen, even a little frightened. But depressed? That was very out of character for Okaru. She shrugged and chose not to ask. They were FINALLY getting recognition for their hard work and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil the moment for her. "Alright," Ryokotsu-sensei spoke up once they had returned to their normal training field, "we're going to call it a day for now. I need you all at your best for this mission tomorrow. So go home and get some rest. We meet at the gates at 6:00am sharp, understood?" All three genins nodded. "Don't be late." Ryokotsu warned (somehow it still sounded vaguely threatening even with his perpetual monotone) and disappeared. Hotaru shrugged her pack onto her shoulders and turned to face the other two. There was still plenty of time left before she had to return home and she was hungry. Her mother was packing her smaller lunches and serving her less at the table on the grounds that she 'didn't want her little princess getting fat'. Hotaru scowled. She faced the boys with a small smile however, and asked, a little awkwardly, "So... you guys want to go for ramen or something? My treat." [Once again I apologize for taking so long. University is eating my soul. I will attempt, to the best of my ability, to post as often as I can. Also, if you guys don't want to drag the day out anymore, just refuse her offer, I don't care either way.]

Hotaru walked the rest of the way home with a soft smile on her face. She had to hand it to Matsuda, his plan had worked - perhaps not perfectly, but it had done it's job - and now they were finally an official team. She was a little surprised at how grateful she was about that. She mused silently as she hopped onto the fencing along side the road and walked across it with perfect ease. They worked well together, and if today was to be any indication, their combined strengths would turn them into a strong team - stronger than she'd ever imagined. She would never call Matsuda a coward again, that was certain. He'd fooled her, perhaps not intentionally, but she'd underestimated him and so had Ryokotsu. He wasn't a strong a shinobi as Okaru or herself, but undoubtedly, Matsuda's level-headedness and ability to see underneath the underneath made him a valuble addition to the team. All he really needed was an ounce of self-confidence to improve, and she could already see the difference Okaru and sensei's comments had made. He was still shy, and a little timid when he'd been speaking with her, but he'd met her eyes when he spoke. Maybe someday she'd tell him how impressed she really was. She continued balancing along the edge of the fence, even as she made her way inside her clan compound. Today she was a real gennin, on her way to becoming a powerful kunoichi, and she didn't want to hide that from anyone, not even her family. She'd hoped to make it to the front door without anyone noticing but her brother Itsuki chose that moment to walk around from the side of their house and caught sight of her. He dropped the nag he'd been carrying unceremoniously and let it crash to the ground. He rushed over to the fence, "What do you think you're doing?" He scolded her and Hotaru scowled. "Get down from there before someone sees you. You could get hurt!" She was feeling particularly bold today, so rather than obey, she shifted her balance and cartwheeled once before flipping off the fence and landing perfectly on her feet. She glared at him, petulent, "I'm not helpless, Itsuki," she should have left it at that, but she was feeling reckless tonight, "in case you forgot, I'm a kunoichi." Her brother laughed. "Hotaru," he smiled patiently, as though he was dealing with a disobediant infant, "you're just a little girl. Granted a very... balanced one. But you really need to be careful. Don't worry your big brother like that okay?" "I'm a gennin!" Hotaru insisted, "I passed the test yesterday, I'm on a team and I'm going to go on missions with them." Itsuki frowned lightly, "You [I]passed[/I]?" Hotaru swallowed the bitter taste his incredulous tone left in her mouth. Her brother seemed to shake himself after a moment and addressed her seriously, with all the authority that he had over her. "Do mom and dad know about this? I didn't think they'd let you." "I don't need their permission." "Hotaru!" Itsuki snapped, "This is ridiculous, mom and dad were very understanding to let you go to that academy-" "They didn't let me go! I had to beg for months!" "-and after you threw that ridiculous temper tantrum when they said 'no' the first time-" "They were the ones who had a fit!" "-you still continue to act like a rebellious infant." "[I]I want to be a kunoichi![/I]" "Hotaru!" Itsuki never raised his voice to her, neither had he ever hit her though it was within his rights as clan heir to do so. He did both then. Hotaru pressed a hand against her stinging cheek, staring up at her brother in absolute horror. Itsuki sighed, "That's enough, Hotaru. I won't tell mom or dad about this, but honestly you need to start growing up and pull your head out of the clouds." Hotaru stood mute before him, and he took her silence as an answer. "Let's go inside." He left without making sure she would follow.

Hotaru considered Matsuda as Okaru joined them. It sounded well thought out, and it would certainly give them a better chance of passing than trying on their own. The way Matsuda put it, she could almost believe the test really [I]was[/I] about teamwork. But if he was wrong... "You'll be essentially sacrificing yourself so we can pass." She said lowly, not expecting a reply. She knew in jounin missions, sacrifices like this happened... only that usually meant a permanent removal from the team. If that was the case, then Matsuda was more of a shinobi than Hotaru and Okaru combined. Sacrificing himself for the sake of the mission. She was... impressed. Maybe she'd tell him that, later. For right now, Hotaru considered the consequences. She had no doubt that Matsuda would be able to pass the genin exam a second time. Her mind made up, she gathered the two boys into the ciricle. "Okay, this is how we do it." [CENTER]-~X~-[/CENTER] Ryokotsu stood in the clearing, clearly bored with waiting. He could sense the signatures of the three gennin hidden together in the trees before they split up again. At this point, he could even pick out which one was which. The man let out a sigh, disappointed. They had shown so much promise, and yet they had failed to even grasp the real goal of the test. It was hardly surprising, and yet he had hoped for something different. "Given up yet?" He called into the trees. One of the chakra signatures tensed and dashed forward. Ryokotsu knew who it was before they burst from the trees and landed dead in front of him. "I was wondering when you would try." Matsuda didn't reply but dashed forward, his katana in hand. Ryokotsu parried easily with his kunai, but he could see the potential forming in the boy. His skill with the weapon was good, better than most could claim at his age, and with proper training, he could easily become a deadly force with his blade. Not today though. When Matsuda swung at his chest, Ryokotsu struck at his exposed left side, sending him flying backwards and sprawled out on the field. His coordination was off, unlike Hotaru who had a certain grace to her movements and an uncanny centre of gravity. The boy clearly wasn't finished and got to his feet quickly. He was breathing a little too heavily, Ryokotsu noticed - his stamina needed improvement - before he avoided the barrage of kunai the boy sent flying at him. The man jumped back, just at the border of the trees and had only just regained his balance when Matsuda ran at him again. His speed could also be improved, as well as his physical strength Ryokotsu noted absentmindedly as he stepped back a little further to avoid being injured by an arching swipe of the blade. Okaru was clearly superior in physical strengths, and he had yet to use anything removely resembling genjutsu. He might have thought further on this but he was forced to move quickly to avoid having a dozen senbon needles impaled in his body. He jumped back to avoid being knocked back by a series of swinging branchs before he realized what was going on. He escaped a series of shuriken by inches. The boy was good, he'd led Ryokotsu right into his traps without every giving away his intention. Admittedly the jounin hadn't been as focused on the boy as he should have. He'd underestimated the boy, and if he were anyone else those traps would have caused serious damage. It was the triumphant look on Matsuda's face that gave the other two away. Hotaru and Okaru lunged out of their cover from either side of him, and the traps cut off nearly all his exits. Even as they closed in on him Ryokotsu couldn't stop the wide grin from showing on his face. Then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Hotaru and Matsuda stumbled, nearly crashing into each other in their surprise. All three gennin stared at the empty space their sensei had stood. Hotaru muttered a soft, "Damn it." Okaru nodded his agreement and sighed. "It was a good plan, Matsuda." "Yes, it was." Matsuda jumped at the voice behind him, nearly stepping into one of his own traps. Ryokotsu stood behind him, his normally bored expression was almost... happy as he addressed all of them. "Congratulations." [I hope this is okay. Sorry it took me so long, but YAY they're a team!]

Hotaru let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. For a moment, she'd thought Okaru had actually succeeded, and had been pleasently surprized when that rock had appeared in his hand. It wasn't good for her to be so competative with her teammate, Hotaru knew that, but it couldn't be helped. She wanted so badly to be the first to get one of those bells, anything else was a failure and Hotaru would not accept that. Still, Okaru had proven one thing at least. Ryokotsu-sensei was a real jounin. A skilled, and accomplished shinobi, whatever his appearance might have led them to originally believed. And he was not about to be beaten using the usual techniques and skills they had learned in the academy. It would take something special for her to get those bells. Matsuda had yet to try and face their sensei and Hotaru had a feeling why. He'd already decided that he'd be the one man out, that he'd loose and be forced back into the academy. His acceptance just made her angry. If she had just accepted her fate as it appeared, she'd be at home, learning how to cook and clean like her mother so she could please her husband. Accepting things without a fight was something Hotaru could not stand. Even if he was beaten and broken in the attempt, Matsuda [I]would[/I] try to get the bells. She'd make sure of it. She found his chakra signature easily and rushed through the trees until she was right beside him, literally, and glared disapprovingly. "Are you just going to stand there and make us do all the work?" She challenged. Matsuda would try if it meant she had to shove him in front of Ryokotsu-sensei herself.

Hotaru was the first to disappear. Okaru and Matsuda followed suit, separating into the thick cover of trees. She took note of their general locations, then focused completely on Ryokotsu. She'd heard of this kind of test before - commonly referred to as 'the bell test' - and once again felt the bite of disappointment. She'd been hoping for something more... original than this, despite the obvious level of difficulty. This test focused on the success of the individual, not the group, or else there would have been three bells instead of only two. That meant one of them was going home and it was definitely NOT going to be her. She'd worked too hard to get this far, and she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. She wasn't completely unsympathetic. In terms of ranking, Okaru and herself were at a distinct advantage over Matsuda; making him the obvious scapegoat. Hotaru allowed herself a moment to sympathize with her teammate's predicament before focusing on the task at hand. No matter how badly she wanted to help Matsuda, she needed this too much to let it go for a boy she barely knew. "I'm waiting!" Ryokotsu called out, still with that bored expression on his face. "Perhaps I should have mentioned that if you fail to get both bells before sunset, you all fail." That was all Hotaru needed to propel her forward into action. Sensei had called her second-best - it was time she proved him wrong. She shot forward from the trees, sending a barrage of kunai towards their sensei. He dodged them all easily, grabbing one from mid air and sending it flying back towards her. Hotaru twisted her body away at the last moment, landing gracefully on the ground. She sprinted towards him, sending a kick to his chest. Ryokotsu grabbed her by the ankle and swung her off her other foot. The girl twisted until her hands found purchase on the ground and kicked at his arm with her other foot. The man was forced to release her to avoid getting his wrist shattered. Hotaru flipped away the second she was free, skidding along the ground until she came to a stop. She straightened and pulled two more kunai out of her pouch and running at her sensei again. Ryokotsu twitched his lip again, in the barest indication of a smile and pulled out his own kunai, blocking her first assault. No matter how she swung at him, he blocked her at every turn. Frustrated, she threw her arm forward, and he caught her wrist, twisting until she let go of the kunai. Before she could attempt to free herself, he knocked the second blade from her and forced her to the ground, her arm imprisoned behind her back. "I'm disappointed," Ryokotsu said casually, "I was told you were a genjutsu specialist, and yet all I've seen so far are your mediocre skills in taijustu." Beneath him, Hotaru gave him a grin that was uncharacteristically bright. "Actually, you've seen both." Ryokotsu felt the ground by his foot shift just before an arm shot from the earth, missing the bells by mere inches before he disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving a piece of tree in his place. The Hotaru he'd been holding disappeared in a cloud of smoke as the real girl hurriedly pulled herself out the ground. She glared at the spot her sensei had been, only seconds ago and glared heatedly. [I]I was SO close! How did he get away so quickly?[/I] "Not bad," a voice rang from the tree above her, "I didn't even realize it was a clone until it spoke. You're not nearly that cheerful or happy, eh?" The girl tensed and glared at him. Ryokotsu did grin at her this time as he waved the bells just out of her reach. "The clone glanced at the ground just before you tried to grab these. Obviously, we'll need to work on that." Hotaru nearly growled at the back of her throat and lunged at the tree. Predictably Ryokotsu leaped away before she left the ground and stood, once again in the exact center of the field. Hotaru shied back into the cover, shaking bits of dirt out of her hair as she began to calculate a plan in her head. [[B]I hope this makes up for me being away for so long. Between the end of the holidays and the inevitable return to university, I haven't had much time for posting. I promise to try and be more regular with my posts from now on. :catgirl:[/B]]

Hotaru narrowed her eyes, first at Ryokotsu-sensei and then at Okaru. They hadn't even been an official four-man cell for ten minutes and already she was irritated. She had always been more of a loner, only working with others when it was necessary or required, but she had thought that, considering their cooperation yesterday, that being on a team with Okaru and Matsuda would have been a blessing. Right now, all it was, was a headache. Their sensei wasn't helping much either. Still, beneath her irritation, the girl could see the future cohesive factors of their team begin to take shape. Things would be difficult (especially being the only girl on the team but she could work with that) but not necessarily unbearable - she hoped... "If you're quite finished trying to intimidate your teammate," Ryokotsu-sensei interrupted her thoughts, "than it's time for us to head down to the training field. I want to see how accurate my first impressions of you three turn out to be, and what we need to work on as a team. Meet me at training ground four in ten minutes." All three students nodded at once and Matsuda and Okaru rose from their seats quickly to follow. Ryokotsu-sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Hotaru could feel some of the tension in the air vanish with him. Matsuda appeared deflated - at least more so than usual anyway - and Hotaru had no doubts that it was because of sensei's comment about his skills. She wanted to say something, but although the impulse was a little strange she couldn't think of anything that would comfort her new teammate. Statistically speaking, Matsuda was inferior to both herself and Okaru, and the fact was that he could either accept it and train harder, or he could continue to mope. Okaru on the other hand, looked a little more arrogantly confident than usual, despite the criticism of Ryokotsu-sensei. It was strange that already the teammates seemed to compliment each other - Matsuda's shyness was compensated by Okaru's overconfidence while Hotaru remained a steady neutral factor. Hotaru wasn't sure if this early cohesion would be beneficial or not. Standing in the doorway, Hotaru turned around abruptly and pinned both boys with a sharp glare. She spoke clearly and sharply, "I don't care if Ryokotsu-sensei does dislike drama. If I sense any competition over me from either of you, I will break both of your noses and reset them at a very [I]unpleasant[/I] angle." [Sorry this took so long. I just finished up my exams and holidays at my house are notoriously chaotic.]

Had Hotaru been anyone else, she would have stood there gaping like a dying fish. She couldn't decide whether to be annoyed for having her conversation interrupted, impressed with Ryokotsu-sensei's swift interpretation of his new students (and for acknowledging her strength, in a round-about way) or angry for being caught off guard. She settled for her normal blank expression as she scanned their sensei up and down. He looked... average. There was no other way of putting it. She'd always assumed most of the more accomplished jounin had some sort of signature which made them stand out from the rest. Ragia-sensei had his big mouth, Aiko-sensei had her bright red hair, and the infamous Copy-Nin had the singular sharingan eye, along with his ever present mask. But this man had nothing. Nothing whatsoever to distinguish him from the run-of-the-mill shinobi. She tried to reason that he must still be highly skilled or he wouldn't have been assigned a squad at all, that his boring appearance was an asset during missions and therefore was something to be admired or praised. Still, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed. "The girl's name is Hotaru," the girl quipped curtly, crossing her arms over her chest. Ryokotsu-sensei arched a brow at her slightly insolent tone, "The fact that you just crossed your arms like that means that you feel threatened, insecure. Certainly not befitting a talented kunoichi. And that is certainly no way to address your sensei." The corner of his mouth quirked upward in a bare imitation of a smile as Hotaru seethed, the look in his eyes challenging her to continue her disobedience. Yet there was something else too. Carefully guarded behind his neutral (and yet also scornful) gaze was something that might have been... amusement? gratitude? relief? Was he relieved that she wasn't like the rest of the graduating kunoichi - all giggles and make-up and flirting with boys? At the moment Hotaru didn't particularly care. Her conflicting emotions settled on simmering anger. She stole a quick glance at Okaru, still slouched in his seat and watching Matsuda's embarassed expression with amusement. He smirked at her when she glared daggers at him, completely unrepentant for leaving them to the mercy of their sensei. Hotaru filed that away carefully for later. If Okaru wasn't going to be a team player, that would mean watching her back (and Matsuda's) more intensely than she'd first thought.

When he had finished his tearful goodbye to his former students, Ragia-sensei began calling out each team and telling them where they would shortly, meet their new sensei. "Team 8," he bellowed over the rabble of excited gennins, "you'll stay here. Your sensei should arrive shortly." Hotaru stopped paying attention as he continued to call out each individual squad and sending them on her way. Although she kept her normal blank expression firmly in place, Hotaru couldn't help but feel excited. She wondered who their sensei would be: one of the teachers? one of the many jounin speakers who had given guest lectures? would they be male or female? Secretly, she hoped for a woman. She was out numbered as it was with Matsuda and Okaru, and having another girl to consult with would not only make her feel more comfortable, but it would also be beneficial for her to study. Few women became kunoichi and fewer still were powerful enough to rival their male counterparts. Lady Tsunade was their first female Hokage; the first woman to hold such a high position of power in the entire shinobi world, Hotaru believed, and for good reason. One didn't become Hokage from being average or by luck. It took skill and power to get that far in this world, and it was even more difficult for women. The stereotypical view of the fairer sex (which Hotaru was well acquainted with) caused many to see them as inferior to the male shinobi, and thus any kunoichi had to work twice as hard to be considered half as good. Luckily for Hotaru, this wasn't difficult for her. The classroom descended into a tense silence as the three members of the new team 8 were left to themselves. Hotaru was used to the quiet, as she often wandered off on her own to train, but it seemed somewhat awkward to be so silent with two others in the room. Hotaru glanced quickly at both of them. Despite their flawless teamwork the previous day, she still had no idea of what to say to them. She knew little about them as individuals; she hoped that their successful 'mission' yesterday hadn't been just a fluke and that they would continue to compliment each others skills. She looked down at Matsuda. After than his rather startled expression after they'd been placed together as teammates, the Yotoro boy had gone right back to looking completely miserable, as though someone had stamped on his heart quite recently and with relish. Hotaru quickly squashed the insecure notion that it was because he had been placed on a team with her - it was childish and completely ridiculous. If anything, he should have been upset that he'd been placed with Okaru. She could see the dark bruise left from their fight the day before. Regardless, either was unlikely. Matsuda wasn't the type to hold grudges. He was far more likely to place the blame on himself. It often showed on his face, as it had yesterday when he'd been mentally berating himself for interfering in her squabble with Hikaru. It was dangerous and foolish for a shinobi to be so simple to read. Obviously, his confidence was going to be an issue later on. For now, however, Hotaru decided that he was not going to be allowed to mope on their first day as an official team. She rose from her seat, nearly soundless except for her chair hitting the desk behind her, and strode down silently to stand to his side. He was so caught up in his moping he didn't see her so, in an attempt to get his attention, Hotaru placed herself in his line of view. Matsuda started a bit before acknowledging her. "Hey Hotaru." "What's the matter with you?" Hotaru asked, her tone only slightly indifferent, but the look in her eyes became playful. "Is it that horrible being on a team with me?"

Hotaru hadn't been able to stop fidgeting all morning. Her foot tapped loudly on the floor throughout Raiga-sensei's last lecture despite the annoyed glances she received and her own fruitless attempts to stop it. She'd barely been able to contain herself in a 'lady-like' fashion at breakfast, and she'd still managed to spill tea on her shirt - she NEVER spilled the tea, ever. She'd ignored the strange glances from her family and had hurried out the door, forehead protector in hand, no longer bothering to conceal it. It was tied loosely at her throat, the metal plate sitting at her collar bone. The weight was solid and heavy and [I]real[/I] and it felt right. Casting a glance around the room, Hotaru took a quick note of all the students (former and otherwise) seated around her as Raiga-sensei listed off the names of the gennin squads. When Hoto was placed with Hikaru and Chozo, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him - and superbly grateful that she hadn't been paired with those losers. She gave Hoto a small, encouraging smile when he looked her way. When Akoma's team had been called out, Hotaru had been startled when Matsuda's head audibly made contact with the desk. She hoped he wasn't aware of all the curious stares being sent his way by more than half the students or else he would have, no doubt, dissolved into a puddle of embarrassment like a puppy caught spoiling the carpet. [I]He would do that too.[/I] Hotaru thought with a grin. Then she heard her name being called and snapped her attention up to the front. ?Team eight will consist of Shijeru Hotaru, Yotoro Matsuda, and Okiori Okaru.? Hotaru gawked for a moment before settling back into her normal blank pose. Whether by fate, coincidence or sheer blind luck she'd managed to get herself on a team with Matsuda and Okaru. [I]This could be interesting.[/I] She thought, [I]Or ... fate has a really fucked up sense of humor.[/I]

Once Matsuda left for home, Hotaru said her goodbyes to Okaru, the bright smile on her face once again. She didn't head home, not right away, she wanted to linger in this moment a little longer. When she was tackled to the ground by a very happy, very excited Aiko, Hotaru found the perfect way to spend the time. Her sensei - ex-sensei now - squealed happily and hugged her protegee tighty."I knew you could do it!" She said, "Oh you did so well! I knew you would pass. And complimented by the Lady Hokage! Oh My Gods! You made me so proud!" Hotaru laughed as the older woman continued to rave and rant about how wonderful she'd done and how proud she was to have been her sensei. Aiko suddenly stopped dancing in bliss and turned back to her former student. "Now, SUSHI! Just like I promised!" Hotaru allowed herself to be dragged through the busy streets. They were crowded with bustling shoppers and merchants, occasionally she'd spot a group of former students celebrating their new gennin status or a family out to celebrate their child's accomplishments. It was so happy and lively here. There was so much to celebrate. Aiko pulled them into her favouriate sushi bar and sat them at one of the corner tables. Hotaru gave the waitress their orders with an apolegetic look while Aiko resumed her frantic praise. The waitress merely smiled, understanding and left. "I really am very proud of you, Hotaru." Aiko smiled, "You've done so well for yourself, especially after coming from a civilian family. You're well on your way to becoming the next Tsunade!" Hotaru was never sure where Aiko's real praise began and where her trademark exagerations ended. Still it was a great confidence boost so she simply smiled and nodded, enjoying her sushi and the company of her academy teacher. She'd always been somewhat of a loner, ostricized by the rest of the students, and without realizing it she'd come to depend on Aiko for some form of acceptance. But now she was leaving, onto a new sensei and teammates who would, more likely than not, be total strangers to her. That thought made her mood darken a little. She was glad she'd parted ways with her teacher before such morbid thoughts entered her mind. Then again, she was nearly home... morbid thoughts ran rampant here. Hotaru thought of Okaru and Matsuda. They were nice enough. Certainly she could see herself spending more time with them... then she frowned. It was a little late to be developing friendships. The odds were that they'd all be placed on seperate teams and set them back to square one. They might even end up fighting each other, all thoughts of their brief comraderie forgotten. It was a possibility, even a fact of life. Either way, if she did end up fighting them, Hotaru decided, she wouldn't go easy on them. Friends or not. Besides, they could take it. Hotaru looked up and realized that she had already reached her clan's entrance. They were a small, civilian clan - by no means important enough to warrent attention - yet they still thought enough of themselves to think that a wall around the complex was appropriate. It was solid brick, dark and imposing, even in the daylight, and the symbol of her clan - three interconnected swirling lines - stood proudly over the doorway. The girl pushed the gate open and stepped inside. There was no one to stop her. She had always thought it was a bit silly for them to have such a forbodding wall and yet have no guards. There were only a few buildings, ten houses in total, all of them with relatives inside. Hotaru's house was the largest, as her family contained the head of the Shijeru clan - her grandfather. Soon that tittle would be passed on to her father, and then to her brother. But not to her. It was not even a consideration, and although Hotaru had no desire to run the small family clan, the idea that she could be so overlooked was more than a little offensive. She swallowed those thoughts and knocked on the door. When it was opened, her brother, Itsuki, stood in the doorway. He gave her a small grin before letting her inside. "Mom's waiting for you in the kitchen. She needs some help with dinner." Itsuki told her before wandering off. Her mother was hunched over a pot of rice and when Hotaru came in. She purposefully made her steps louder than was normally befitting a kunoichi - the last time she had 'snuck up' on her mother she'd gotten a long lecture about lady-like behaviour. Her mother, a short, plain woman with long dark hair tied back from her face, heard her footsteps and waved her forward. "There you are dear. You were out late." Hotaru nodded, "Sorry, mom." They didn't discuss where she had gone. Her mother didn't care for such things. Her mother handed her daughter an apron as she stirred the rice. Hotaru slipped her headband from behind her back into the pocket before moving to take the spoon and stir. "Not to fast now, sweetie." Her mother warned, "You'll spill the oil over the sides and burn yourself. That's right now, slowly, there's mommy's little girl. We'll make a fine cook out of you yet. The way to your husband's heart is through his stomach after all." Hotaru said nothing for the rest of the night. She slunk off after dinner, head band clutched tightly in her hands, and sat quietly in her room. "By the way everyone," Hotaru whispered to herself, gently feeling the metal surface and tracing the Konoha symbol, "I passed the academy examination today. Lady Hokage even said I was very talented." She let her shoulders drop. They all knew the academy examination was today - everyone knew. They hadn't mentioned a thing. "Thanks everyone. I'm glad you're so happy for me."

Hotaru watched as both Matsuda and Okaru were directed into the examination room and emerged a few minutes later with the Konoha headbands in hand. She let out a sigh of relief for the both of them. They were both talented and deserved this recognition at least, even if they were idiots. "Hotaru, you're up." A chuunin called from the front and the girl snapped back to attention. Hikaru snickered as she was led towards the examination room. Hotaru ignored it - the examiners would not be so leinient if there was yet another fight among the students. Besides, if Hikaru had managed to scrape by the examination with a head band than Hotaru clearly had nothing to worry about. This was the second time she had been shown into the examination room with the eyes of Ragia-sensei, the other instructors and the fifth Hokage trained intently on her the moment she stepped into the room. Repeating the experience did not make it any less terrifying. [I]I already passed this,[/I] Hotaru reminded herself, [I]I wasn't even using my full potential and I passed. There's nothing to worry about.[/I] Ragia-sensei passed a sheet of paper, containing Hotaru's private information no doubt, over the Hokage. The blonde woman scanned it quickly before training her eyes on Hotaru again. There might have been a split second of recognition in the lady Hokage's eyes - one that nearly made the girl's heart skip a beat - before it passed. Hotaru saw Aiko-sensei standing in a corner, her gaze less intense than the others. "Alright Hotaru, impress us." Ragia-sensei smiled, almost reasurringly, and the test began. She began with the basic shadow-clone technique, summoning three clones around her without breaking a sweat. The wall-run was simple, so she'd taken it one step farther and, rather than simply jumping down from the wall after reaching the top, Hotaru stopped dead on the celing and stood there before leaping down and landing nimbly on her feet. "That was unnecessary, Hotaru." One of the instructors commented. Hotaru smiled, "You wanted me to 'impress you'." In the background, Aiko-sensei giggled and she could have sworn she saw Ragia-sensei smile. The replacement jutsu was also easy and she created a perfect replica of Ragia-sensei. The ninjutsu portion was slighly harder. She had always had a little difficulty dealing with this particular art, but she managed to create a basic water jutsu - small and pathetic, only creating a thin fog around the room - but her chakra levels were already running low and it couldn't be helped. Taking Hoto's test had drained her more than she'd realized. If she failed because of this she'd break Okaru's nose again and reset it at a much more intesting angle. She kept it simple for the taijutsu portion, and merely demonstrated the basics on the wooden dummy. She'd never been particularly adept at taijutsu anyway, and it was still her major weak point - the dummy swung around and hit her arm at one point. She'd have one embarassing bruise there tomorrow. She faced the examiners again, breathing a little more heavily than she would have liked, heart fluttering in her chest. "Before we pass you, Hotaru," this was the first time lady Tsunade had spoken directly to her and the girl fought to keep herself in check. Hotaru leveled her gaze with the lady Hokage - that was what she aspired to be, what she would have to become if she wanted to be a great kunoichi. The blonde gave her a wicked smile, "I've been told that you're rather talented at advanced genjutsu. Perhaps you'd give us a demonstration." It wasn't a request. Hotaru nodded slowly and began to gather her chakra. With her levels so low already she knew simplicity was essential, even though she ached to create the advanced illusions she had read about. She was going to kill someone for this - Aiko-sensei or Okaru, she wasn't picky. She felt her chakra change the setting, from the wooden room to a rolling hillside; she could almost feel the grass at her feet. Hotaru let the illusion drop after a moment and refused to gasp for breath even as her vision swam. She would NOT pass out, not when she was so close. Tsunade spoke after a long moment, "....Not bad at all." She smiled. ___________________________________________________________________ Hotaru had to stop herself from skipping out the doors, Konoha headband in hand. Not only had she passed (she waved her headband at Hikaru as she passed and delighted in watching the other girl's face turn an interesting shade of purple) but the fifth Hokage had actually praised her skills! She would hold on to that until the day she died. She refused to think about the reception she would receive when she arrived home (or rather the one she wouldn't receive) or the dismissive voices of her parents, or the imminent argument to come when she told them she would be continuing as a kunoichi. She refused to think about that at all. Hotaru grinned happily and sought out Matsuda among the gaggles of students who had claimed their own headbands. She walked over to him and gave him a genuine smile. "We actually passed." She couldn't help if she was uncharacteristically happy - because she really was. "I'm.... really glad you passed too."

Hotaru waited from her hiding spot near the bathrooms for Hoto to show up, his headband clenched firmly in her hands. He'd gone off, presumably to thank Okaru for his help, shortly after she'd emerged with his promised headband and coveted gennin status. She had to hand it to Okaru, everything had gone perfectly. She'd been slightly surprised at his 'distraction' - it was far more violent than she'd imagined, but then, Okau had never been the quiet and subtle type - but she'd been grateful. No one had noticed her leave. She was a little upset - though she couldn't pin point the exact reason - that he'd brought Matsuda into their plot without his knowledge beforehand. He'd endangered both their chances at passing, although it had been pleasantly surprising to see shy, little Matsuda turn right around and break Okaru's nose. She had no doubts that he would pass now... if they still let him take the exam anyway. The instructors hadn't noticed anything, which was exactly how the jutsu was supposed to work. They would have noticed a henge, so she'd placed the illusion throughout the entire examination room, seamlessly connecting the illusion to reality. They saw 'Hoto' standing nervously in front of them, and 'Hoto' shakily perform the necessary genjutsu to pass (she'd even let a bit of her control slip, because she knew 'Hoto' was no genjutsu expert), and they'd kindly smiled at 'Hoto' when they passed him his headband. She carefully fingered the material in her palm and wondered if it would feel the same way to hold one in her hands when she passed the test. "Hotaru!" Hoto called as he rounded the corner at last. "Hotaru, where are you?" Hotaru shushed him angrily, "Do you want to get caught?" She waved him over into the shadows and placed the headband into his shaky hands. He looked up at her with such an expression of gratitude that Hotaru almost felt bad for yelling at him before and gave him a quick smile. "Thank you so much!" Hoto whispered, smiling brightly. "I promise I'll make this up to you all." Hotaru shuffled on her feet, uncomfortable. "Forget it." She mumbled, then looked him dead in the eye, her glare making her next words into a half-hearted threat. "Just don't make me regret helping you get that, okay?" She'd never forgive herself (or Okaru) if Hoto was killed on a mission because of their interference. Hoto seemed to understand and shook his head emphatically. "I promise, you won't regret this!" He shouted a quick 'good luck' over his shoulder as he sprinted off for home to tell his family the good news. Hotaru smiled at his retreating back then turned and walked back to the remaining line up of students. She hadn't missed her place in line. Good, that might cause suspicion. Her heart leapt into her throat when one of the examiners called her over, but she didn't show it. "Shijeru," He looked down at her, "why weren't you in line?" "I was," Hotaru replied, her voice perfectly meek, "I had to go to the bathroom." When the examiner didn't look convinced she leaned forward and whispered, "It was for [U]girl[/U] stuff." The examiner stuttered for a moment before ushering her back in line, still five back from the front. Hotaru giggled quietly to herself - thank goodness for the uncomfortable subject of feminine issues. She peered over to where Okaru and Matsuda had disappeared, dragged away for punishment and sighed sympathetically. She hoped they were allowed to take the exam - her gennin years wouldn't be all that fun without those two to kick around. [A/N: Sorry if I made anyone uncomfortable. :animesmil]

Hotaru struggled to keep her breathing even. To inhale any faster was a sign of weakness and she wouldn't allow that now - it was rather something to be considered an equal, especially by one of the top students and considering who she was. Later she would realize her victory; that in real life Okaru would have been dead the moment her kunai touched his neck and he would have never been able to retaliate. But in the moment, she could only replay how easily he had escaped and how she had only just managed to land on her feet. She would have to train harder to correct that. Next time she might not be so lucky. The sound of a bell drew her attention towards the academy doors. They were rounding up the students - it was finally time. She straightened but kept her eyes on Okaru in case he decided to try and catch her off guard. He didn't seem like that kind of opponent: he was every bit as ruthless and determined as she was, but Hotaru knew he wasn't like Hikaru - he wouldn't attack her without reason. And besides, he was probably just as eager to pass the exams as she was - all the same, she kept her periferal vision trained on him. "Tell Hoto to be ready." She said softly. "I'll be waiting for your distraction and he had better be ready to move or else we'll all be done for." She did [B]not [/B]want to be sent back to the academy thanks to Okaru and his make-shift plans.

Hotaru kept her face a careful neutral as she considered his offer. Her first instinct was to go along with his idea- after all he had a point. The exam was typically genjustu based, which was the reason why most students failed their first time. Manipulating stamina into chakra and then manipulating that chakra into the desired effect was no easy feat, and most of the students barely scraped by on a good clone jutsu or transformation. Hotaru was one of the exceptions; her ability to manipulate chakra almost guaranteed her a shinobi headband. She remembered seeing Hoto struggled with the basic skills in class and let out a small, sympathetic sigh. They'd send him back to the academy in a heartbeat, and it would crush him. Hoto was a polite boy, a bit prudish, but polite and he had always smiled at her in class. The jutsu she'd need to help him was advanced, but not terribly complex, and she was sure she'd have enough chakra. The problem of course, was if they got caught. The rules against cheating were strict and absolute. They'd get their asses handed to them on a silver platter before they were shipped back to the academy. Her mother would just [I]love[/I] that; just more proof that women shouldn't be shinobi. Or more specifically, why Hotaru shouldn't be a shinobi. "What happens if we get found out?" She inquired, attempting to keep her tone aloof. "And why are you so desperate to help Hoto anyway?" "Does it matter?" Okaru countered, a slight edge to his voice. Hotaru shook her head once. "Not really." She was silent for a moment before looking Okaru dead in the eye with a small grin. "I'm in." Being a shinobi was all about taking risks, wasn't it?

Hotaru watched Matsuda walk off and let out a sigh. This day was turning out to be anything but the exciting, anxiety ridden day she had expected it to be in light of the exams. If anything, she was beginning to wish she had stayed in bed. She looked over at Kagoya and his fans. It didn't look like he'd be attacking her anytime soon - she'd probably bruised his ego along with the rest his person. The girls were all glaring horrible deaths with their eyes. Hotaru merely shrugged and continued on her way towards the far off training grounds. It was a medium sized field with the standard targets and occasional obstacle. Nothing special, unless you counted the fact that she could see the Forest of Death from here. It was immense and foreboding, and the horror stories that the academy drilled into their heads to keep them from entering meant that few, if any students ever used this field. Hotaru loved it. Rather than seeing the Forest as an object of terror, she preferred to see it as an obstacle - just one more thing for her to overcome on her way to being a respected kunoichi. She'd come here to train, by herself or occasionally with others, and relished the small degree of privacy. Fear, she'd discovered, was a powerful motivator and she used it to her benefit. Walking towards the centre of the field, she drew a kunai from her pouch and twirled in on her finger for a moment before she sent it flying towards the target. It hit the bulls-eye with deadly accuracy. Hotaru smiled a little. She'd overcome that obstacle too. Hours of weapons training had given her near pinpoint accuracy. It hadn't come naturally (she'd sent her first few kunai flying into the woods and had yet to recover them) but she'd worked hard and earned this skill. Almost in an attempt to reassure herself of that, Hotaru leapt into the air with the grace of a cat and spun mid-air, shooting three more kunai at the targets, watching with satisfaction as they all hit the center mark. Perhaps that was why she hadn't become infatuated with Akoma as the other girls had. Akoma was a prodigy, and everything seemed to come naturally to him while Hotaru had to work hard to develop those same inherent skills. Perhaps it was prejudicial of her, but she respected someone who had to work hard to succeed and earn their skills more than someone who succeeded by nature. She was pulled from her revere by the sound of clapping off to the right. Sitting up in her favourite tree was a young woman, a kunoichi, with bright red hair and smiling brown eyes. She wore her headband like a bandanna over the top of her head and bandages covered her hands and knees. Hotaru smiled brightly for the first time that day. "Hello Aiko-sensei." "I won't be that for long now, will I?" Aiko-sensei grinned, almost childishly at her favorite student and hopped down from her purchase on the tree. She landed neatly in front of Hotaru and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Soon you'll be a genin, and forget all about me!" She swooned dramatically. Hotaru laughed softly. "I still need to pass, Aiko-sensei." The red head sobered and arched an eyebrow at the targets beside them. "I would think that is mote point, Hotaru." She smilled happily again. "You'll pass, no problem. I have no doubt about that. MY genjutsu prodigy wouldn't fail me." Hotaru grinned. "I'll do my best." Aiko nodded and ruffled her hair again. Hotaru groaned and tried to swipe it back into place. "You'll do fine," Aiko knelt down to be eye level with her student, suddenly serious, "you've proven yourself capable without a doubt. You'll become a great kunoichi, Hotaru." She stood again, seriousness forgotten. "And when you pass, I'll take you out for sushi. My treat." She mussed up her hair again and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hotaru stood there for a moment, looking at the place where her sensei had once stood and over to the three targets. [I]You'll pass, no problem.[/I] She considered for a moment before collecting her kunai and raced off to meet Okaru. She landed neatly in the garden in front of Okaru and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her face was blank. "What do you want, Okaru?" (A/N: Sorry I took so long to reply :animeswea)

Hotaru was between Kagoya and Matsuda in a heartbeat, shoving at Kagoya with chakra induced strength and sending him flying backwards, nearly crashing into his fan club. She smirked a little and shifted her stance, prepared to receive an attack. "Hikaru attacked ME if you'd care to remember." She said, voice calm and even. "Since when has helping out a fellow shinobi been considered a reason for cowardly attacks?" She didn't show it, but Hotaru was furious. This was the second time that day that someone had presumed to defend her as if she couldn't do it herself. If Matsuda had threatened her, she would have throttled him herself; she certainly didn't need some ego driven jock to do it for her. More than that, she was itching to fight. After being spared that chance with Hikaru, Hotaru found herself looking for an excuse. She would have taken it out on Matsuda (gently of course) but now, all of her frustration was directed solely on Kagoya. His fan girls shrieked at seeing their 'hero' pushed to the ground like that. If they had the skills to handle Hotaru they would have jumped to his defense. Hotaru stepped forward, menacingly and the group collectively took a step back. Kagoya ignored them and stood, shaking the dirt of his cloths. "That's a fine way to show thanks. I was defending you!" Kagoya snapped. Hotaru looked bored. "I don't need your protection. I can handle myself." She glared and pointed her finger at his chest. "Now back off. Or the only one who'll need protecting will be you."

"You know, I could have handled that." Hotaru said from behind Matsuda. On the ground, her clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke, giving her 'rescuer' a wide grin before she disappeared completely. She'd traded places the second Hikaru had jumped her, and had been hidden behind a row of lockers, waiting for her chance when Matsuda had stepped in. Hotaru folded her arms across her chest. She wasn't angry [I]per se[/I] but she was a little annoyed that someone else had interfered. Years of being treated like a delicate object in her clan's house had hardened her against most chivalric displays. She was a girl, not a china doll goddamn it! And she was about to become a genin; she didn't need to be looked after. She sighed, recognizing good intentions when they hauled (surprisingly heavy) opponents off her and softened her tone. "I appreciate your concern Matsuda, but it wasn't necessary." She gave a sad sort of grin, "She's done that many times before and I pinned her every time. Her balance is pathetic." Among other things, but she could sense Hikaru's chakra still within vocal range she'd had enough fighting for one day. She straightened, "Thank you, anyway." She walked over to where her book had fallen open onto the floor. It was already covered with mud and dirt and one of the pages was ripped in half. Hotaru picked it up and, with an exhausted sigh, threw it over her shoulder where it landed neatly in the nearby waste bin. No sense in keeping it now either way, but it left her without something to do before the exams started. She turned back to Matsuda, arms crossed and eyes lowered to the ground, "Do you... wanna go practice... with me?" She hated herself for sounding so uncertain.